GPRSEGPRS Connection Control and Transfer

GBSS12.0
Feature Parameter Description

Issue 01

Date 2010-06-30

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

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 GSM BSS
GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer Contents

Contents
1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1-1
1.1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................ 1-1
1.2 Intended Audience ........................................................................................................................ 1-1
1.3 Change History.............................................................................................................................. 1-1

2 Overview .....................................................................................................................................2-1
3 Technical Description ..............................................................................................................3-1
3.1 Establishment of an Uplink TBF .................................................................................................... 3-1
3.1.1 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the CCCH..................................................................... 3-1
3.1.2 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the PCCCH .................................................................. 3-4
3.1.3 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the PACCH ................................................................... 3-4
3.1.4 Dynamic Adjustment of Transmission Interval of the RRBP Field........................................ 3-6
3.2 Enhancement of Extended Uplink TBF Function .......................................................................... 3-7
3.2.1 Early TBF Establishment ...................................................................................................... 3-7
3.2.2 Sending Dummy Control Block ............................................................................................ 3-7
3.3 Establishment of a Downlink TBF ................................................................................................. 3-8
3.3.1 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the CCCH .................................................................. 3-8
3.3.2 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the PCCCH................................................................ 3-9
3.3.3 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the PACCH ................................................................ 3-9
3.4 Release of a TBF .........................................................................................................................3-11
3.4.1 Release of a Non-Extended Uplink TBF .............................................................................3-11
3.4.2 Release of an Extended Uplink TBF .................................................................................. 3-12
3.4.3 Release of a Downlink TBF ................................................................................................ 3-13
3.5 Uplink Data Transmission............................................................................................................ 3-14
3.5.1 Dynamic Allocation Mode ................................................................................................... 3-14
3.5.2 Extended Dynamic Allocation Mode ................................................................................... 3-15
3.5.3 Handling of LLC PDUs and RLC Data Blocks .................................................................... 3-16
3.5.4 RLC Mode .......................................................................................................................... 3-16
3.5.5 Uplink Access Congestion Control ..................................................................................... 3-17
3.6 Downlink Data Transmission ....................................................................................................... 3-17
3.6.1 Scheduling of Downlink Radio Blocks ................................................................................ 3-17
3.6.2 Handling of LLC PDUs and RLC Data Blocks .................................................................... 3-18
3.6.3 RLC Mode .......................................................................................................................... 3-18
3.6.4 Downlink Flow Control ........................................................................................................ 3-18
3.6.5 LLC PDU Lifetime Supervision ........................................................................................... 3-19
3.6.6 Flush LL Procedure ............................................................................................................ 3-20
3.7 Reassignment of a TBF............................................................................................................... 3-20
3.7.1 Reassignment of an Uplink TBF ......................................................................................... 3-20
3.7.2 Reassignment of a Downlink TBF ...................................................................................... 3-20
3.7.3 Reassignment of the Concurrent Uplink and Downlink TBFs (TS Procedure) .................. 3-20

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer Contents

3.8 Suspend and Resume ................................................................................................................. 3-21

3.8.1 Suspend ............................................................................................................................. 3-21
3.8.2 Resume .............................................................................................................................. 3-21

4 Parameters .................................................................................................................................4-1
5 Counters ......................................................................................................................................5-1
6 Glossary ......................................................................................................................................6-1
7 Reference Documents .............................................................................................................7-1

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 GSM BSS
GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 1 Introduction

1 Introduction
1.1 Scope
This document describes the establishment of uplink and downlink temporary block flows (TBFs),
enhancement of the extended uplink TBF function, release of a TBF, uplink and downlink data
transmission, TBF reassignment, and suspension and resumption of a GPRS/EGPRS service.

1.2 Intended Audience

It is assumed that users of this document are familiar with GPRS basics and have a working knowledge
of GPRS telecommunication.
This document is intended for:
 Personnel working on Huawei GPRS products or systems
 System operators who need a general understanding of this feature

1.3 Change History

The change history provides information on the changes in different document versions.
There are two types of changes, which are defined as follows:
 Feature change
Feature change refers to the change in the GPRS/EGPRS connection control and transfer feature of a
specific product version.
 Editorial change
Editorial change refers to the change in wording or the addition of the information that was not
described in the earlier version.

Document Issues
The document issues are as follows:
 01 (2010-06-30)
 Draft (2010-03-30)

01 (2010-06-30)
This is the first release of GBSS12.0.
Compared with issue Draft (2010-03-30) of GBSS12.0, issue 01 (2010-06-30) of GBSS12.0 incorporates
the changes described in the following table.

Change Type Change Description Parameter Change

Feature None. None
change
Editorial Parameters are presented in the None
change form of Parameter ID instead of
Parameter Name.

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 1 Introduction

Draft (2010-03-30)
This is the draft release of GBSS12.0.

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 2 Overview

2 Overview
GPRS/EGPRS connection control refers to the establishment and release of temporary block flows
(TBFs). GPRS/EGPRS transfer refers to the transfer of data on TBFs. The purposes of GPRS/EGPRS
connection control and transfer are as follows:
 To optimize the TBF establishment and release procedures so that each user can obtain the best
possible data throughput
 To provide efficient flow control and scheduling so that each end user can obtain the best possible data
throughput
 To reduce the MS access time through uplink immediate assignment, takeover of the uplink
assignment by the BTS, dynamic adjustment of transmission interval of the relative reserved block
period (RRBP) field, delayed release of uplink and downlink TBFs, and extended uplink TBF.
The connection control part and the transfer part are involved in handling a TBF.
The connection control part handles:
 Establishment of an uplink or downlink TBF
 Release of an uplink or downlink TBF
 Data transmission
 Reassignment of a TBF
 Suspend and resume
The transfer part handles:
 Scheduling and reception of RLC data blocks, assembly of RLC data blocks into LLC PDUs, and
transmission of LLC PDUs to the SGSN
 Reception of LLC PDUs from the SGSN and disassembly of LLC PDUs into RLC data blocks
 Scheduling and transmission of RLC/MAC control blocks containing signaling information
 Downlink flow control
Establishing different types of TBFs depends on:
 Whether the connection is on the uplink or downlink
 Whether the channel that controls signaling is PCCCH, CCCH, or PACCH
The PCCCH is used only when there is a PBCCH in the cell. If there is no PBCCH, the CCCH is used.
The PACCH is used only when an uplink or downlink TBF already exists. In view of this, TBF
establishment is classified into uplink TBF establishment and downlink TBF establishment. According to
the channel types and access phases, TBF establishment is further classified into:
 Establishment of an uplink or downlink TBF on the CCCH
 Establishment of an uplink or downlink TBF on the PCCCH
 Establishment of an uplink or downlink TBF on the PACCH

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3 Technical Description
3.1 Establishment of an Uplink TBF
Before transmitting data, an MS initiates a channel request. The PS channel request of an MS is of the
following types: one-phase access and two-phase access.
 For a One-Phase Access request, the BSC assigns radio resources to an MS upon receiving the
request. The radio resources can be temporary flow identity (TFI) or uplink state flag (USF).
 For a Two-Phase Access request, the processing procedure is as follows:
1. The BSC assigns one RLC/MAC control block to an MS. The MS transmits a Packet Resource
Request message on the assigned radio block.
2. The BSC assigns radio resources (such as TFI or USF) to the MS. The MS starts to send data on the
assigned radio resources.
The Packet Channel Request message is an 8-bit or 11-bit access burst, so it carries only a small
amount of information. The Packet Resource Request message, however, is an RLC/MAC signaling
packet based on the CS-1 coding scheme. Therefore, it carries more information, including the
temporary logical link identifier (TLLI) , multislot capability of an MS , or the radio priority.

3.1.1 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the CCCH

One-Phase Packet Access on the CCCH
If one-phase packet access is used on the CCCH, the procedure for the establishment of an uplink TBF
is as follows:
1. If a PCCCH is not present in the cell, the MS sends a Channel Request message to the BSC over the
RACH when the MS is in packet idle mode.
2. After receiving the message from the MS, the BSC starts to establish a TBF and informs the MS
whether the access request is allowed or rejected. If the access request is allowed, the BSC sends
an Immediate Assignment message to the MS over the AGCH. The message contains the USF and
the TFI of the TBF. It also indicates that one uplink packet channel is assigned for the uplink data
transfer.
3. The MS sends the first uplink RLC data block to the BSC over the assigned uplink packet channel.
The data block contains the TLLI of the MS. After receiving the uplink RLC data block, the BSC
returns a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(with TLLI) message to complete the contention resolution
procedure. The establishment of uplink TBF is complete.
4. The BSC responds with a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(without TLLI) message to acknowledge the
reception of the received uplink RLC data block.
Figure 3-1 shows the details.

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Figure 3-1 One-phase packet access on the uplink CCCH

MS BTS BSC

Channel Request

Immediate Assignment

RLC data block(with TLLI)

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(with TLLI)

RLC data block(without TLLI)

RLC data block(without TLLI)

………
Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(without TLLI)

RLC data block(without TLLI)

In the previous procedures, if the packet uplink immediate assignment function has to be taken over by
the BTS, the IMMASSDLSHIFT parameter should be set to Support. In comparison with the original
mechanism, the Immediate Assignment message is sent in advance and the MS access delay is
reduced. Currently, the takeover of the packet uplink immediate assignment by the BTS is only available
for one-phase access. Figure 3-2 shows the details.
1. The BSC sends a Preallocation Uplink TBF Resource Request message to the BTS to assign the
required resources in advance. Then, the BTS responds with a Preallocation Uplink TBF Resource
Acknowledgement message.
2. After receiving a channel request, the BTS sends an Immediate Assignment message to the MS over
the AGCH and schedules uplink data blocks through the preemption mechanism. After receiving the
Immediate Assignment message, the MS starts to send data blocks to the BSC.
3. After receiving a Channel Request(assist) message from the BTS, the BSC initiates the procedure for
the establishment of an uplink TBF. The BSC sends an Immediate Assignment(assist) message to
the BTS. The establishment of an uplink TBF is complete.

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Figure 3-2 Takeover of the packet immediate assignment by the BTS

MS BTS BSC

Preallocation Uplink TBF

Resource Request
Preallocation Uplink TBF
Resource Acknowledgement
Channel Request
Immediate Assignment
Channel Request(assist)
Immediate Assignment(assist)
Uplink Data Block

Uplink Data Block

Both GPRS and EGPRS support one-phase access and two-phase access. One-phase access and the
first phase of two-phase access can be 8-bit or 11-bit access. (GBFD-119201 11-Bit EGPRS Access)
The procedure for 11-bit one-phase access on the CCCH is the same as that for 8-bit one-phase access
on the CCCH. The access speeds are similar. The difference lies in that the MS multislot capability can
be carried in the procedure for 11-bit one-phase access on the CCCH. Generally, an EGPRS-capable
MS has the multislot capability. If an EGPRS-capable MS uses one-phase access, it informs the network
of its multislot capability during 11-bit one-phase access; if an EGPRS-capable MS uses two-phase
access, it informs the network of its multislot capability through a packet resource request, which causes
a long access delay. Therefore, the EGPRS11BITCHANREQ parameter is set to Yes. The
EGPRS-capable MS can adopt one-phase access. In comparison with two-phase access, the access
time of one-phase access can be reduced by 300 ms.

Two-Phase Packet Access on the Uplink CCCH

Two-phase access is of two phases: single radio block access and packet access. The purpose of single
radio block access is to assign a PACCH to the MS for the transmission of the Packet Resource
Request(with TLLI) message. The purpose of packet access is to assign packet channels for data
transmission. The procedures for two-phase access on the uplink CCCH and for TBF establishment are
as follows:
1. If a PCCCH is not present in the cell, the MS sends the BTS a single radio block packet channel
request over the RACH. Then, the BTS forwards the request to the BSC.
2. The BSC only assigns a single uplink radio block and does not establish uplink TBFs. Through the
BTS, the BSC sends a packet uplink immediate assignment message to the MS over the AGCH. This
message indicates that an uplink radio block is assigned.
3. The MS sends the BSC a Packet Resource Request message on the assigned uplink radio block
over the PACCH. This message carries the TLLI, access type, and MS RAC. The BSC assigns a
packet channel to the MS according to the MS RAC and then establishes an uplink TBF.
4. The BSC sends a Packet Uplink Assignment(with TLLI) message over the same PACCH to finish the
contention resolution procedure. This message indicates that an uplink packet channel is assigned
for the transmission of uplink data, including the USF and the TFI of the TBF.
5. The MS sends uplink data without TLLI over the assigned channel. The establishment of an uplink
TBF is complete.

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6. The subsequent procedures for two-phase access on the uplink CCCH are the same as those for
one-phase access on the uplink CCCH.
Figure 3-3 shows the details.
Figure 3-3 Two-phase packet access on the uplink CCCH

MS BTS BSC

Channel Request
Immediate Assignment

Packet Resource Request(with TLLI)

Packet Uplink Assignment(with TLLI)

RLC data block

RLC data block

………
Packet Uplink Ack/Nack
RLC data block

3.1.2 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the PCCCH

If a PCCCH is present in the cell, the MS initiates an 8-bit/11-bit one-phase or two-phase access request
on the PRACH when the MS is in packet idle mode. When the BSC allows access, it assigns a packet
channel to the MS for the transmission of uplink data.

One-Phase Packet Access on the PCCCH

The basic procedure for one-phase packet access on the PCCCH is mostly the same as that for
one-phase packet access on the uplink CCCH. The former differs from the latter in the following aspects:
1. The channel request is initiated over the PRACH.
2. Uplink assignment rather than immediate assignment is initiated over the PAGCH.

Two-Phase Packet Access on the PCCCH

The basic procedure for two-phase packet access on the PCCCH is mostly the same as that for
two-phase packet access on the uplink CCCH. The former differs from the latter in the following aspects:
1. The channel request is initiated over the PRACH.
2. Uplink assignment rather than immediate assignment is initiated over the PAGCH.

3.1.3 Establishment of an Uplink TBF on the PACCH

The procedure for the establishment of an uplink TBF on the PACCH is as follows:
1. The MS is in packet transfer mode and there is a downlink TBF. If the BSC sets S/P to 1, it indicates
that the MS is requested to send a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message in the reserved uplink block
to acknowledge the reception of downlink data. The S/P field indicates whether the RRBP field is
valid. If the S/P field is set to 1 in the header of a downlink data block, the MS is requested to perform

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acknowledgement. If the S/P field is set to 0, the RRBP field is invalid.The RRBP field indicates how
many TDMA frames the MS should wait for before transmitting uplink RLC data blocks.
2. If the MS has uplink data to transmit, the MS sends a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with Channel
Request Description) message to the BSC over the PACCH.
3. After receiving the message (the downlink TBF is now in packet transfer mode), the BSC starts the
procedure for establishing an uplink TBF on the downlink. The BSC sends a packet uplink
assignment message to the MS over the PACCH, establishes an uplink TBF, and assigns a packet
channel to the MS. Collision resolution is not required during the establishment of an uplink TBF on
the downlink.
4. The MS sends uplink data blocks without TLLI over the assigned channel. The establishment of an
uplink TBF is complete.
Figure 3-4 shows the details.
Figure 3-4 Establishment of an uplink TBF on the downlink

MS BTS BSC

RLC data block

RLC data block

………
RLC data block(S/P=1)

Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with Channel Request Description)

Packet Uplink Assignment(with TLLI)

RLC data block

In the previous procedure, if the packet assignment function has to be taken over by the BTS, the
PACKASSDLSHIFT parameter should be set to Support (GBFD-119202 Packet Assignment Taken
Over by the BTS). In this way, the packet assignment message is sent by the BTS and thus the MS
access delay is reduced by 100 ms. As a result, the user experience is improved and the operation
revenue is increased.
1. When the previous uplink TBF is to be released (extended uplink TBF not supported), the BSC sends
a Packet Uplink ACK/NACK(FAI=1) message first. The BSC detects that the downlink TBF is in
packet transfer mode, so the BSC reserves the uplink TBF and then preassigns this uplink TBF to the
BTS.
2. After receiving a Packet Control ACK message from the MS, the BSC starts the procedure for
releasing the uplink TBF.
3. The BTS receives a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with Channel Request Description) message from
the MS. Then, the BTS directly assigns the MS the packet channel that is preassigned by the BSC
and then performs resource scheduling. The BTS sends an uplink assignment message to the MS.
Then, the MS can upload data blocks. Now the takeover of packet assignment by the BTS is
complete. At the same time, the BTS forwards the Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with Channel Request
Description) message to the BSC.
4. After receiving the message, the BSC starts the procedure for establishing an uplink TBF on the
downlink.

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5. The BSC sends a Packet Uplink Assignment message to the MS over the PACCH. The BTS
performs transparent transmission on the downlink messages on the PDCH. Therefore, the MS
receives the Packet Uplink Assignment message twice. Then, instead of the BTS, the BSC takes
charge of the scheduling of uplink data blocks.
Figure 3-5 shows the details.
Figure 3-5 Takeover of packet uplink assignment by the BTS

MS BTS BSC

RLC data block(CV=0)

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=1)
Preallocation Uplink TBF
Resource Request
Preallocation Uplink TBF
Resource Acknowledgement
Packet Control Ack

RLC data block

Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with
Channel Request Description)
Packet Uplink Assignment
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(with
Channel Resquest Description)
Packet Uplink Assignment
RLC data block

3.1.4 Dynamic Adjustment of Transmission Interval of the RRBP

Field
This section describes the feature GBFD-119205 Dynamically Adjusting the RRBP Frequency.
Dynamic adjustment of transmission interval of the RRBP field is a process in which the BSC transmits
downlink data with the RRBP field at different intervals depending on whether an uplink TBF exists and
whether the delayed release of the downlink TBF is performed at an early stage or at a late stage. Thus,
the speed of establishing an uplink TBF on the downlink is increased.
 If an uplink TBF exists or if the delayed release of the downlink TBF is performed at a late stage, the
BSC transmits the RRBP field at a long interval to increase the uplink bandwidth.
 If an uplink TBF does not exist or if the delayed release of the downlink TBF is performed at an early
stage, the BSC transmits the RRBP field at a short interval to accelerate the uplink access speed of
the MS.

Uplink TBF Existence and RRBP Transmission Interval

During downlink transmission, the BSC periodically sends the MS the downlink data blocks with the
RRBP field. The MS responds with a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message to acknowledge the reception
of downlink data. When the MS has uplink data to transmit, it adds a Channel Request information

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element to the Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message to initiate access. Therefore, if the interval of
transmitting the RRBP field is decreased, the MS access speed can be increased.
The Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message occupies the uplink bandwidth. If an uplink TBF already exists,
increasing the interval of transmitting the RRBP field can reduce the uplink overhead and increase the
uplink bandwidth.

Delayed Downlink TBF Release and RRBP Transmission Interval

After transmitting the last downlink RLC data block, the BSC acknowledges the reception of all the
previously transmitted downlink data blocks. Then, the BSC does not instruct the MS to release the
downlink TBF. The BSC infers that the last data block is not received by the MS. Then, the BSC
periodically retransmits the last downlink RLC data block with the RRBP field. After receiving the last
downlink RLC data block that is retransmitted, the MS responds with a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack
message in the corresponding uplink RLC radio block of the RRBP field to ensure that the downlink TBF
is not released. The downlink TBF release delay is specified by the DNTBFRELDELAY parameter.
Therefore, when the MS has uplink data to transmit, it immediately sends the BSC a Packet Downlink
Ack/Nack message with the Channel Request Description information element.
In addition, during delayed downlink TBF release, the disassembled downlink RLC data blocks are
directly transmitted in the downlink TBF of which the release is delayed.
After downlink data transmission, the MS generally has uplink data to transmit at the early stage of the
delayed downlink TBF release. At this time, the interval of transmitting the RRBP field should be short. At
the late stage of the delayed downlink TBF release, there may not be uplink data for transmission. At this
time, the interval of transmitting the RRBP field should be long.

3.2 Enhancement of Extended Uplink TBF Function

This section describes the feature GBFD-119203 Extended Uplink TBF.

3.2.1 Early TBF Establishment

Early TBF establishment described in the 3GPP TS 44.060 (Release 7) is an enhanced function of the
extended uplink TBF. If the MS supports early TBF establishment, the TBF can be allocated before the
MS transmits the actual data, thereby reducing the service access delay. (GBFD-119503 Early TBF
Establishment)
In the two phase access procedure, the MS sets the EARLY_TBF_ESTABLISHMENT field in the
PACKET RESOURCE REQUEST message to notify the BSC that TBF pre-allocation is required. After
the BSC establishes the TBF required by the MS, the TBF is not released even if the BSC does not
receive any data block from the MS within a specified time. In this case, if the MS has data to transmit
later, it can directly send data on that TBF without initiate the TBF establishment procedure. Thus, the
service access delay is reduced.
If the uplink TBF is required to be established during the downlink packet transmission, the MS sets the
EARLY_TBF_ESTABLISHMENT field in the PACKET DOWNLINK ACK/NACK or EGPRS
PACKETDOWNLINK ACK/NACK message to notify the BSC of the early TBF establishment. When the
TBF is established, the processing is same as that described above.

3.2.2 Sending Dummy Control Block

Depending on the network setting, the BSC notifies in the system information the MS of whether to send
the dummy control block when the MS has no other block to transmit in extended TBF mode. This is an
enhanced feature of the extended uplink TBF, as described in 3GPP TS 44.060 (Release 6). If the MS
does not send the dummy control block when it has no other block to transmit to the network in extended
TBF mode, the message flow on the Um interface can be decreased, thus increasing the performance of
the MS and the BSC and reducing the MS power consumption.

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The BSC sends the system information PSI1, PSI13, or SI13 with the EXT_UTBF_NODATA parameter
to the MS to indicate whether the MS should send the PACKET UPLINK DUMMY CONTROL BLOCK
message.
The value of the EXT_UTBF_NODATA parameter contained in the system information is dependant on
the setting of the cell parameter EXTUTBFNODATA. If EXTUTBFNODATA is set to SEND, the MS
sends the PACKET UPLINK DUMMY CONTROL BLOCK message to the BSC when it has no other
block to transmit. If EXTUTBFNODATA is set to NOTSEND, the MS does not send the PACKET UPLINK
DUMMY CONTROL BLOCK message to the BSC when it has no other block to transmit.

3.3 Establishment of a Downlink TBF

A downlink TBF is established on the basis of whether the channel that transmits control signaling is a
PCCCH, CCCH, or PACCH. The establishment of a downlink TBF is classified into the establishment of
a downlink TBF on the CCCH, the establishment of a downlink TBF on the PCCCH, and the
establishment of a downlink TBF on the PACCH.

3.3.1 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the CCCH

If a PCCCH is not present in the cell, the BSC needs to establish a downlink TBF for data transmission
when it receives from the SGSN a downlink LLC PDU without a downlink TBF. If the MS is in idle mode,
the BSC sends a downlink assignment message to the MS over the CCCH. The procedure for the
establishment of a downlink TBF on the CCCH is as follows:
1. After receiving a downlink LLC PDU from the SGSN, it inserts the downlink LLC PDU in the LLC PDU
queue. The BSC sends the MS an Immediate Assignment message over the CCCH to assign a
channel to the MS. The message carries the TFI and the start time of the TBF.
2. When the downlink TBF starts, the BSC sends the MS a Packet Polling Request message with TFI
over the corresponding PACCH of the downlink TBF if the BSC does not have timing advance (TA).
After receiving this message, the MS responds with a packet control acknowledgement message.
Then, the BSC obtains the TA from the packet control acknowledgement message and then informs
the MS of the TA by sending a Packet Power Control/Timing Advance message.
3. If the channel (indicated in the immediate assignment message) assigned to the MS does not meet
the multislot capability of the MS, the BSC initiates the reassignment of a downlink TBF and sends a
packet downlink assignment message to assign several channels to a TBF.
4. The downlink TBF is successfully established. The BSC starts to send data blocks. The BSC
disassembles the downlink LLC PDU into downlink RLC data blocks and then sends the data blocks
to the MS over the assigned downlink packet channel. The BSC sets S/P to 1 in the downlink RLC
data block header. The MS sends a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message in response to the received
downlink RLC data blocks.
Figure 3-6 shows the details.

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Figure 3-6 Establishment of a downlink TBF on the CCCH

MS BTS BSC SGSN

LLC PDU
Immediate Assignment

Packet Polling Request(with TFI)

Packet Control Ack(AB)

Packet Power Control/Timing Advance

Packet Downlink Assignment

RLC data block
………
RLC data block(S/P=1)

Packet Downlink Ack/Nack

RLC data block

3.3.2 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the PCCCH

The procedure for the establishment of a downlink TBF on the PCCCH is similar to that for the
establishment of a downlink TBF on the CCCH. The former differs from the latter only in the following
aspect: the downlink assignment message is sent over the PCCCH.

3.3.3 Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the PACCH

During uplink TBF transmission, the MS listens to the PDCH. If there is downlink data for transmission,
the MS sends a Packet Downlink Assignment message on the PACCH. This process is referred to as the
establishment of a downlink TBF on the uplink.
If the downlink TBF is released but the T3192 timer (timer duration specified by the T3192 parameter)
does not expire, the MS listens to the PDCH. If there is downlink data for transmission, the MS sends a
downlink assignment message on the PACCH. This process is referred to as the establishment of a
downlink TBF on the downlink.

Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the Uplink

The procedure for the establishment of a downlink TBF on the uplink is as follows: During uplink TBF
transmission, the BSC receives a downlink LLC PDU from the SGSN. Then, the BSC sends the MS a
Packet Downlink Assignment(Uplink TFI, S/P = 1) message on the PACCH. The downlink TBF is
established. The BSC starts to send RLC data blocks.
Figure 3-7 shows the details.

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Figure 3-7 Establishment of a downlink TBF on the uplink

MS BTS BSC SGSN

RLC data block

RLC data block
………
RLC data block
LLC PDU
Packet Downlink Assignment (Uplink TFI, S/P=1)

RLC data block

RLC data block

Establishment of a Downlink TBF on the Downlink

The procedure for the establishment of a downlink TBF on the downlink is as follows:
1. During downlink TBF transmission, the BSC sends the MS all the data blocks in the LLC PDU queue.
In the last data block, the BSC sets both the final block indicator (FBI) and the S/P to 1.
2. The MS responds with a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(FAI=1) message. Then, the BSC sets timer
T3192.
− If
a PBCCH is not present in the cell, the BSC informs the MS of the value of this parameter through
SI13 and PSI13.
− If
a PBCCH is present in the cell, the BSC informs the MS of the value of this parameter through PSI1
and PSI13.
The MS starts timer T3192 and the BSC automatically starts timer T3193. The duration of timer T3193
is a little shorter than that of timer T3192.
3. If the previous downlink TBF on the BSC side is released but the BSC receives a downlink LLC PDU
from the SGSN before timer T3193 expires, the BSC directly sends a Packet Downlink
Assignment(with Downlink TFI, S/P=1) message over the PACCH carrying the previous downlink
TBF. If the previous downlink TBF on the MS side is not released, the MS directly uses this TBF to
transmit data after receiving a Packet Downlink Assignment message. A downlink TBF is established.
Then, the BSC sends RLC data blocks to the MS and stops timer T3193.
Figure 3-8 shows the details.

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Figure 3-8 Establishment of a downlink TBF on the downlink

MS BTS BSC SGSN

RLC data block

RLC data block

………
RLC data block (FBI=1,S/P=1)
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(FAI=1)

start3192 start3193
LLC PDU
Packet Downlink Assignment (with Downlink TFI, S/P=1)

RLC data block

RLC data block

stop3193

3.4 Release of a TBF

The causes for the release of a TBF are as follows:
 There is no data for transmission on the uplink or downlink. The timer for delayed uplink TBF release
or the timer for delayed downlink TBF release expires.
 The MS makes a cell reselection to another cell.
 The cell does not support the GPRS/EGPRS function any longer.
 The cell is reinitialized.
The release of a TBF is classified into the release of an uplink TBF and the release of a downlink TBF.
The release of an uplink TBF is of two modes: non-extended uplink TBF mode and extended uplink TBF
mode.
 Non-extended uplink TBF mode: When the protocol version supported by the MS is R99 or earlier, the
MS controls the release of an uplink TBF in the following two situations: the MS does not carry the
RAC; the MS carries the RAC but the RAC is unknown in the BSC.
 Extended uplink TBF mode: When the protocol version supported by the MS is R4 or later, the BSC
controls the release of an uplink TBF if the MS carries the RAC and the RAC is known in the BSC.

3.4.1 Release of a Non-Extended Uplink TBF

1. The release of a non-extended uplink TBF is initiated by the MS. During uplink TBF transmission, the
MS sets count down value (CV) to 0 in the last uplink data block.
2. If the BSC receives all the uplink data blocks, it sends the MS a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=1,
S/P=1) message. If the BSC does not receive all the uplink data blocks, it sends the MS a Packet
Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=0) message, instructing the MS to retransmit the data blocks that are not
received.
3. If the MS receives the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=1, S/P=1) message, it responds with a Packet
Control Ack message. Then, the uplink TBF is normally released.

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Figure 3-9 shows the details.

Figure 3-9 Release of a non-extended uplink TBF

MS BTS BSC

RLC data block(CV=0)

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=1, S/P=1)

Packet Control Ack

A monitoring mechanism is required to ensure that the uplink TBF on the BSC side can be released in
case that the Packet Control Ack message is lost.
1. After receiving all the RLC data blocks correctly, the BSC sends the MS a Packet Uplink
Ack/Nack(FAI=1, S/P=1) message. At the same time, the BSC starts counter N3103. The maximum
value of this counter is specified by N3103. After receiving a Packet Control Ack message from the
MS, the BSC resets counter N3103 to zero.
2. If the BSC does receive a correct Packet Control Ack message in the corresponding uplink data block,
counter N3103 is incremented by one.
3. If counter N3103 exceeds its maximum value, the BSC automatically starts the internal timer T3169.
4. After timer T3169 expires, the TBF is released. Then, the corresponding resources can be utilized
again.
If the MS does not support an extended uplink TBF, the BSC sends the MS a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack
message with FAI = 1 after receiving the last uplink RLC data block (CV = 0), instructing the MS to
release this uplink TBF. The non-extended uplink TBF is delayed for a period of time before being
released. The release delay is specified by UPTBFRELDELAY. If the BSC needs to establish a downlink
TBF during the delay period, then the downlink TBF can be established on the uplink TBF that is not
released. Thus, the downlink TBF establishment time is reduced. After the downlink TBF is successfully
established, this uplink TBF is automatically released. If the BSC need not establish a downlink TBF
during the delay period, the MS releases this uplink TBF after the delay period elapses.

3.4.2 Release of an Extended Uplink TBF

The release of an extended uplink TBF is a process in which the control rights of uplink TBF release is
handed over from the MS to the BSC. The transmission of an extended uplink TBF is of two phases:
active period and inactive period. When the MS has no data for transmission, the TBF enters the inactive
period. When the MS has data for transmission, the TBF enters the active period.
After transmitting the uplink data, the MS retains the uplink TBF for a period of time. During this period of
time, the MS can directly transmit uplink data (if any) without reestablishing the uplink TBF. Thus, the
overhead of uplink TBF reestablishment is saved and the transmission delay of uplink data is reduced.
This significantly improves the network KPIs, especially for the long-time discontinuous transmission
(such as interactive transmission and ping) on the uplink. For example, the ping delay can be reduced by
300 ms.
Figure 3-10 shows the details.
1. After receiving the last uplink RLC data block (CV = 0), the BSC does not release the extended uplink
TBF immediately. Instead, the BSC sends a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack (FAI = 0) control block. Then,
the TBF enters the inactive period. The BSC starts the inactive period timer. The duration of the timer
is specified by the UPEXTTBFINACTDELAY parameter. The BSC continues to allocate uplink

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resources to the MS until the inactive period timer expires. The uplink resources are used for the MS
to transfer control blocks.
2. During the inactive period of TBF, if there are uplink RLC data blocks for transmission, the MS can
directly use the uplink TBF that enters the inactive period without establishing a new uplink TBF. The
uplink TBF used by the MS automatically enters the active period. If there are no uplink RLC data
blocks for transmission, the MS sends a Packet Uplink Dummy Block message to the BSC.
3. When the inactive period of TBF elapses, the BSC instructs the MS to release this uplink TBF
through a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack message (FAI = 1) if there are no uplink RLC data blocks for
transmission. After receiving this message, the MS sends a Packet Control ACK message to the
BSC. Then, the uplink TBF is normally released.
Figure 3-10 Release of an extended uplink TBF

MS BTS BSC

Packet Uplink Data Block(CV=1)

Packet Uplink Data Block(CV=0)

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=0) Start inactive period timer

Packet Uplink Dummy Block

Packet Uplink Dummy Block

Packet Uplink Data Block(CV=1)

Stop inactive period timer
Packet Uplink Data Block(CV=0)
Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=0)
Start inactive period timer
Packet Uplink Dummy Block
Packet Uplink Dummy Block
Packet Uplink Ack/Nack(FAI=1)
Inactive period timer expires
Packet Control Ack

3.4.3 Release of a Downlink TBF

1. During downlink TBF transmission, all the data in the LLC PDU queue is transmitted. In the last
downlink data block, the BSC sets both the final block indicator (FBI) and the S/P to 1.
2. If the MS correctly receives all the downlink data blocks, it sends the BSC a Packet Downlink
Ack/Nack message with FAI = 1. Otherwise, the MS sends the BSC a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack
message with FAI = 0, requesting the BSC to retransmit the data blocks that are not received.
3. After receiving the Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message with FAI = 1, the BSC normally releases the
downlink TBF.

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Figure 3-11 Release of a downlink TBF

MS BTS BSC

RLC data block(FBI=1, S/P=1)

Packet Downlink Ack/Nack(FAI=1)

A monitoring mechanism is required to ensure that the downlink TBF can be released in case that the
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message is lost.
1. Each time the BSC sets S/P to 1 in the downlink TBF data blocks, the BSC starts counter N3105. The
maximum value of this counter is specified by the N3105 parameter. If the BSC correctly receives a
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message from the MS, the BSC resets N3105 to zero.
2. If the BSC does not correctly receive a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message from the MS, N3105 is
incremented by one.
3. If counter N3105 exceeds its maximum value N3105_max, the BSC automatically starts the internal
timer T3195.
4. After timer T3195 expires, the downlink TBF is released.

3.5 Uplink Data Transmission

One MS can be assigned multiple PDCHs and one PDCH can be shared by multiple MSs. The radio
blocks of only one MS, however, can be transmitted on each PDCH in each radio block period. One MS
schedules radio blocks through USF. In other words, the MS knows which PDCH and which radio block
of this PDCH are used for the transmission of its data. Thus, multiple MSs can share one uplink channel.
If one PDCH is shared by multiple TBFs, the TBFs are scheduled on the basis of their QoS capabilities.
USF allocation has two modes: dynamic allocation mode and extended dynamic allocation mode.
In extended dynamic allocation mode, when the MS can transmit uplink blocks, the MS need not listen to
the subsequently assigned channels. Therefore, the MS can use more uplink channels than in dynamic
allocation mode. The extended dynamic allocation mode helps increase the uplink data transmission
rate and enables the services with a large data volume to be transmitted on the uplink, thus increasing
the user satisfaction. The extended dynamic allocation mode needs the support from the MS. The RAC
reported by the MS indicates whether the MS supports the GPRS extended dynamic allocation mode or
the EGPRS extended dynamic allocation mode.

3.5.1 Dynamic Allocation Mode

In dynamic allocation mode, the MS determines which blocks are to be assigned to a certain PDCH on
the basis of the USF.
The radio blocks used by the MS are temporarily assigned by the BSC. The BSC includes the number of
PDCHs assigned to the MS and the value of corresponding USF on each PDCH in the assignment
uplink resource message or reassignment uplink resource message. After receiving this message, the
MS starts to listen to the USF value in the downlink radio block header of the assigned channel. If this
value is equal to the assigned USF value, the MS has the rights to use the uplink channel. Then, the MS
transmits data blocks on this channel in the next radio block period.
USF is classified into reserved USF and free USF.
The reserved USF is a USF value that is not assigned to any GPRS/EGPRS MS. It is used to prevent
more than one GPRS/EGPRS MS from attempting to transmit data on the same PDCH. Currently, the

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reserved USF is 7. The BSC informs a GPRS/EGPRS MS that one or more uplink radio blocks have
been reserved for it on a particular PDCH. The GPRS/EGPRS MS may have an uplink or downlink TBF,
or no TBF at all. When the radio block period elapses, the BSC sends the MS the Reserved USF. Only
the MS to which this block has been assigned is allowed to transmit data.
 The reserved USF is used in the following scenarios:
− During the second phase of two-phase access
− If
a downlink RLC/MAC control block contains a valid RRBP field, the receiving MS uses its reserved
block to send a single control message.
− If
USF granularity is 4, the MS uses its three reserved blocks to send RLC/MAC data blocks or
control messages.
 The free USF is used on the PRACH in the next uplink block period. This channel is utilized during the
first phase of an establishment procedure. All MSs are allowed to transmit a packet channel request
on the PRACH.
A monitoring mechanism is required to ensure that the uplink TBF can be released.
1. After starting to assign a USF to the uplink TBF (that is, the uplink TBF is successfully established),
the BSC starts counter N3101 to check whether the uplink data is received. The maximum value of
this counter is specified by the N3101 parameter.
2. The BSC waits for the MS to transmit uplink data in the reserved RLC uplink block corresponding to
the USF. If the MS has uplink RLC blocks for transmission, the BSC resets N3101 to zero. If the MS
does not have uplink RLC blocks for transmission, N3101 is incremented by one.
3. If counter N3101 exceeds its maximum value N3101_max, the TBF is abnormally released.

3.5.2 Extended Dynamic Allocation Mode

In extended dynamic allocation mode, the MS determines which blocks are to be assigned to multiple
PDCHs on the basis of the USF. The resource assignment mechanism in extended dynamic allocation
mode is the same as that in dynamic allocation mode. The number of channels used on the uplink is
greater than the number of channels used on the downlink. After receiving the USF value of a channel,
the MS transfers data on this channel and on other channels whose channel number is greater than the
number of this channel.
For a downlink TBF, if the USF granularity is 4 and the USF value of timeslot 3 that is assigned to this
TBF is 5, it indicates that the following three timeslots (timeslots 4-6) are also assigned to the downlink
TBF in the next uplink period, as described in Table 3-1. All the four timeslots may not be assigned to this
TBF. If one of them is assigned to this TBF, however, the subsequent timeslots are definitely assigned to
this TBF.
Table 3-1 Extended dynamic allocation mode
PDCH Timeslot 3 Timeslot 4 Timeslot 5 Timeslot 6
Downlink USF=5 USF=7 USF=7 USF=7
Uplink √ √ √ √

The √ symbol indicates that this timeslot is occupied.

All the assignment-related messages contain a list of assigned PDCHs and the corresponding USF
value of each PDCH. If the assigned resources do not allow the MS to listen to the USF values of all the
assigned PDCHs, the MS listens in according to the following principles:

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In a block period for data transfer, the MS obtains the USFs of all the timeslots from the timeslot to which
the MS listens to the current timeslot. For example, if the USF in timeslot 3 to which the MS listens is
consistent with the locally saved USF, the MS can transfer data in timeslots 3, 4, 5, and 6. If the USF in
timeslot 5 to which the MS listens is consistent with the locally saved USF, the MS can transfer data in
timeslots 5, 6, and 7.
If the PDCHs on which EGPRS and GPRS services are multiplexed use USF granularity 4, the downlink
traffic volume of the EGPRS TBF can be increased. A GPRS-capable MS and an EGPRS-capable MS
use the same PDCH. Therefore, the EGPRS-capable MS only uses the radio blocks with the GPRS
coding scheme and cannot use the radio blocks with the EGPRS coding scheme on the downlink. After
receiving a downlink radio block, the MS triggers uplink radio block transfer. The EGPRS-capable MS
obtains its own USF value from the header of the downlink radio block.
 If the USF granularity is 4, uplink data is transferred on the PDCH in the next four radio block periods.
 If the USF granularity is 1, uplink data is transferred on the PDCH in the next radio block period.
If the USF granularity is 1, the BSC must send one more downlink radio block with the GMSK coding
scheme to trigger the uplink radio block transfer when the EGPRS-capable MS needs to transfer one
more uplink radio block. Thus, the EGPRS downlink bandwidth is adversely affected. If the USF
granularity is 4, one downlink radio block triggers four uplink radio blocks. Therefore, the number of
downlink radio blocks with the GMSK coding scheme is reduced and the EGPRS downlink bandwidth is
affected to a smaller extent only.

3.5.3 Handling of LLC PDUs and RLC Data Blocks

RLC data blocks are received on each PDCH. RLC data blocks contain a TFI, indicating which TBF the
RLC data blocks belong to. The blocks are numbered sequentially to allow them to be reassembled into
LLC PDUs. LLC PDUs consist of one or more RLC data blocks.

3.5.4 RLC Mode

There are two RLC modes: acknowledged mode and unacknowledged mode.
 One-phase access
− In the case of 8-bit access, only the RLC acknowledged mode is used.
− Inthe case of 11-bit access, the RLC unacknowledged mode is used if the EGPRS Packet Channel
Request message carries the information element One phase Access Request in RLC unack mode;
the RLC acknowledged mode is used if the message does not carry the information element One
phase Access Request in RLC unack mode.
 The information element Channel Request Description carried in the Packet Resource Request and
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack messages from the MS indicates which RLC mode is used by the network.
The GPRS/EGPRS MS informs the BSC of which RLC mode is used by sending a Packet Channel
Request message or an EGPRS Packet Channel Request message. Then, one-phase access is
complete.

RLC Acknowledged Mode

In RLC acknowledged mode, the BSC acknowledges the reception of all the RLC data blocks. The TBF
can be released only when the MS acknowledges that all the data blocks are transmitted. This is to
ensure the transmission reliability of the RLC data blocks. If BSC does not acknowledge the reception of
all the RLC data blocks, the MS retransmits the lost data blocks. After the MS receives all the
acknowledgement messages from the BSC, the BSC releases the uplink TBF.
If the MS does not receive an acknowledgement message, SI is set to 1 in the uplink RLC/MAC block
after the sliding window stops. After receiving the uplink RLC/MAC block with SI = 1, the BSC retransmits

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the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack message. The interval of transmitting the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack message
with SI set to 1 in the uplink block is shorter than the interval of transmitting the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack
message in the normal case.

RLC Unacknowledged Mode

In RLC unacknowledged mode, the BSC also acknowledges the received RLC data blocks but the MS
does not need to process the acknowledgement message. In addition, the transmitted data blocks need
not be acknowledged by the BSC. The TBF can be released immediately after the data transmission is
complete.
The BSC still sends the MS a Packet Uplink Ack/Nack message periodically, indicating that the network
is still receiving data normally.

3.5.5 Uplink Access Congestion Control

At a specific time, if too many MSs in the cell request GPRS resources, the resources may be insufficient
and thus uplink congestion may occur.
Uplink flow control is performed to control the service requests (including the responses to paging)
initiated by the MS. The control of uplink service requests is performed by controlling the random access
volume on the PRACH/RACH. It may affect the response speed and QoS of the system but it helps
improve the system capacity. Therefore, it can be used in some suitable situations.

3.6 Downlink Data Transmission

After a downlink TBF is established, the BSC disassembles the received LLC PDUs into the RLC data
blocks. The RLC data blocks and RLC/MAC control blocks are scheduled at a suitable time.
The RLC data blocks and RLC/MAC control blocks are ranked by priority. For radio blocks on the same
channel, the radio block with higher priority is preferentially transmitted. An RLC/MAC control block has
a higher priority than an RLC data block. If two or more TBFs share one PDCH, the scheduling is
performed on the basis of the QoS of each TBF.

3.6.1 Scheduling of Downlink Radio Blocks

Each downlink TBF can be assigned one or more PDCHs and multiple downlink TBFs can share one
PDCH.
Each downlink TBF has a radio block queue, which is used to transmit radio blocks to the MS. An
RLC/MAC control block has a higher priority than an RLC data block. Radio blocks are transmitted on all
the PDCHs that are assigned to the MS. In RLC acknowledged mode, the radio block that is not
acknowledged by the MS is retransmitted or a new radio block is generated. By delaying the
segmentation of LLC PDUs until the BSC is ready to transmit data, the optimal coding scheme can be
selected to accommodate the radio conditions.

Scheduling of Downlink Radio Blocks

Each MS is assigned one or more PDCHs. The logical channels carried on each PDCH consist of the
PACCH and PDTCH. The next radio block is scheduled immediately after one radio block is transmitted.

Handling for No Radio Block Scheduling

If there is no downlink data for transmission, the BSC sends a Packet Downlink Dummy Block message,
which carries the USF of the MS. Thus, it is possible to perform uplink scheduling.

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3.6.2 Handling of LLC PDUs and RLC Data Blocks

DL-UnitData messages are sent from the SGSN to the BSC over the Gb Interface. Each DL-UnitData
message contains an LLC PDU and the control information required for the transmission of the LLC PDU
on the Um interface. In a TBF, an LLC PDU containing user signaling data has a higher priority than an
LLC PDU containing user data. When the GPRS/EGPRS QoS feature is enabled, data LLC PDUs are
queued at different priorities.
The LLC PDUs are disassembled into RLC data blocks and are then scheduled. For EGPRS, a radio
block contains one or two RLC data blocks depending on the MCS coding scheme used.
 For MCS-1 to MCS-6, a radio block contains one RLC data block.
 For MCS-7 to MCS-9, a radio block contains two RLC data blocks.
If a downlink TBF is in transfer mode and the LLC PDU queue of this TBF has downlink data, the
downlink data is sent to the MS. If a downlink TBF is not in transfer mode or the LLC PDU queue of this
TBF does not have downlink data, the downlink data is not sent to the MS.

3.6.3 RLC Mode

The RLC mode of a downlink TBF is determined by the QoS attribute of the downlink LLC PDU. Each
DL-UnitData message indicates which mode should be used for data transmission.
After sending a certain number of RLC data blocks to a GPRS/EGPRS MS, the BSC sets S/P to 1 in the
next radio block to be sent.
There are two RLC modes: acknowledged mode and unacknowledged mode.

Acknowledged Mode
In acknowledged mode, the MS returns a Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message to acknowledge the
received data message (S/P = 1). This contains a positive or negative acknowledgement for a range of
RLC data blocks. The RLC data blocks that are negatively acknowledged are rescheduled for downlink
transmission. If a radio block contains two RLC data blocks and only one of them is positively
acknowledged, then only the negatively acknowledged RLC data block is retransmitted.

Unacknowledged Mode
In unacknowledged mode, no retransmission is performed. But there is an exception. That is, if the BSC
does not receive the downlink acknowledgement message from the MS, the final radio block in a
downlink TBF is retransmitted for a certain limited number of times. This ensures that the MS is aware
that the transmission of downlink data is complete.

3.6.4 Downlink Flow Control

Because the physical media and transmission protocols on the Gb interface are different from those on
the Um interface, the two interfaces have different data transmission rates. The data transmission rate
on the Gb interface is greater than that on the Um interface. In addition, during downlink data
transmission, the data transmission rate on the Um interface is subject to various factors, such as the
multislot capability of the MS, radio quality, and available radio channels in the cell. Therefore, the data
transmission rate is unstable and the flow control on downlink data is required.
The BSC checks the data validity when forwarding the downlink LLC PDU. If the capacity of queued LLC
PDUs exceeds half the queue capacity, the BSC performs flow control and sends a flow control message
over the Gb interface. When the cell is in normal state, the BSC starts the flow control procedure. The
BSC regularly reports the bucket size and bucket flow rate of the cell to the SGSN based on the situation
of the radio packet channels in the cell. In addition, the BSC reports the bucket sizes and bucket flow
rates of the MSs based on the amount of radio resources occupied by the MSs. The SGSN adjusts the

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downlink data flow rate of the cell and MSs in real time based on the bucket size and bucket flow rate of
the cell and the bucket size and bucket flow rate of the MSs respectively. Thus, downlink data flow
control is achieved.

The bucket size of a cell refers to the maximum packet data storage space that the BSC reserves for the cell. The bucket
size varies according to the number of packet channels in the cell.
The bucket size of an MS refers to the maximum packet data storage space that the BSC reserves for the MS. The bucket
size varies according to the number of channels assigned to the MS.
The bucket flow rate refers to the data transmission rate.

Downlink flow control consists of downlink BVC flow control and downlink MS flow control.
 Downlink BVC flow control
The BSC reports to the SGSN the flow control parameters, such as the maximum bucket size and the
leak rate of the BVC. According to the flow control parameters, the SGSN performs flow control to
prevent frequent data losses caused by congestion and the transmission disruption caused by
insufficient bandwidth. The BSC sends the SGSN a FLOW-CONTROL-BVC message, indicating that
the cell is ready to receive downlink LLC PDU data. This message includes the buffer size and data
flow rate. These are set high enough to accommodate the maximum GPRS traffic volume in the cell.
 Downlink MS flow control
The BSC reports to the SGSN the flow control parameters, such as the maximum bucket size and the
leak rate of the MS. According to the flow control parameters, the SGSN performs flow control to
prevent frequent data losses caused by congestion and the transmission disruption caused by
insufficient bandwidth. The BSC sends the SGSN a FLOW-CONTROL-BVC message, which contains
default flow control parameters for any MS that enters the cell. The SGSN receives from the MS an
MS-FLOW-CONTROL message, which contains the corresponding parameters for the MS. The SGSN
uses these parameters to perform flow control on each MS. Note that this message is sent at the
beginning of TBF establishment. The buffer size and leak rate depend on the multislot capability of the
MS and whether the TBF is using GPRS or EGPRS. If the buffer usage or transmission rate varies
during the lifetime of the TBF, additional messages can be sent to change the flow control parameters.

3.6.5 LLC PDU Lifetime Supervision

Each DL-UnitData message contains an LLC PDU lifetime timer, which specifies how long each LLC
PDU is queued on the BSC side. The BSC first checks how long each LLC PDU has been queued. Then,
the BSC disassembles it into RLC data blocks. If the lifetime of an LLC PDU has expired, it is discarded.
At the same time, the BSC sends an LLC-Discarded message to the SGSN.
Discarding of LLC PDU due to delay is used to reduce the negative effects from temporary disruptions in
downlink transfer at the RLC layer. Temporary disruptions at the RLC layer may be caused by:
 Preemption of PDCH
 TBF setup failure
 Intra-cell handover of SGSN in dual transfer mode (DTM) connection
 Cell reselection in SGSN during packet transfer
 Completion of non-enhanced circuit service by MS in DTM connection
When a downlink TBF is abnormally released or a downlink TBF is not successfully established, the LLC
PDUs are saved in the downlink buffer for a period of time. After that, if the downlink TBF is successfully
established and the LLC PDUs in the buffer are not discarded, the data transmission continues. This
makes the temporary disruption unlikely to be noticed by the end user. If the LLC PDU lifetime expires
and the downlink TBF is not successfully established, the remaining LLC PDUs in the buffer are
discarded. At the same time, the BSC sends an LLC-Discarded message to the SGSN.

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3.6.6 Flush LL Procedure

If an MS processing downlink services moves to a new cell, the SGSN sends a Flush LL message to the
BSC. This message indicates whether all the queued LLC PDUs should be discarded or whether they
should be transferred to the new cell in which the MS is located.
 If the BSC discards all the queued LLC PDUs, the downlink TBF is released. The BSC sends the
SGSN a Flush LL Ack message, indicating how many LLC PDUs are discarded.
 If the BSC transfers the queued LLC PDUs to the new cell, the LLC PDUs whose lifetime has expired
are first discarded and other LLC PDUs are then transferred to the new cell. Then, the BSC sends the
SGSN a Flush LL Ack message, indicating how many LLC PDUs are transferred or discarded. The old
TBF is released and a new TBF is established in the new cell.

3.7 Reassignment of a TBF

The cause of TBF reassignment is that the current TBF changes. Accordingly, the number of PDCHs
bound to this TBF changes. Reassignment of a TBF involves the reassignment of an uplink TBF, the
reassignment of a downlink TBF, and the reassignment of the concurrent uplink and downlink TBFs (TS
procedure).

3.7.1 Reassignment of an Uplink TBF

If the BSC finds a TBF that meets the uplink reassignment condition, the BSC sends a Packet Uplink
Assignment message to the MS. The purpose is to assign additional PDCHs. The BSC need not expect
an acknowledgement message from the MS. After a period of time, the MS continues to transmit data
over a new PDCH.

3.7.2 Reassignment of a Downlink TBF

If the BSC finds a TBF that meets the downlink reassignment condition, the BSC sends a Packet
Downlink Assignment message to the MS. The purpose is to assign additional PDCHs. The BSC need
not expect an acknowledgement message from the MS. After a period of time, the BSC continues to
transmit data over a new PDCH.

3.7.3 Reassignment of the Concurrent Uplink and Downlink TBFs

(TS Procedure)
In a TS procedure, the BSC sends a Packet Timeslot Reconfigure message to the MS to assign
concurrent uplink and downlink TBFs. In this way, load balancing is ensured.
If channel load imbalance occurs because of TBF establishment or release, the MS is moved from
channels with high load to channels with low load. Thus, load balancing is ensured and the data rate per
user is increased. The TS procedure is used to adjust the uplink and downlink channel resources. The
TS procedure is initiated to assign the maximum bandwidth resources for uplink data transmission in one
of the following situations: the preferred service type is uplink service; the bandwidth allocated to the
uplink does not reach the maximum value; the available bandwidth of the system is not less than the
maximum bandwidth required on the uplink. The same is the case with the downlink.
1. During channel allocation, the BSC preferentially assigns channels on the TRX with lower load based
on the load on different TRXs. In this way, the load balancing among TRXs is ensured.
2. Within the BSC, an MS has uplink and downlink TBFs. The BSC triggers the TS procedure to
periodically adjust the channels occupied by the uplink and downlink TBFs. This is to ensure the load
balancing among channels. If a PDCH cannot provide sufficient radio blocks for the TBF, the TBF is
transferred to a more eligible PDCH. This does not increase the load of a specific TBF but increases

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the total TBF load on the PDCHs. An existing TBF is moved from channels with high TBF load to
channels with low TBF load.
3. GPRS and EGPRS channels coexist in the system. If GPRS channels are overloaded, the GPRS
MSs are assigned EGPRS channels. When the MSs release GPRS channels, the load on EGPRS
channels is taken into account. If the load on GPRS channels decreases, some GPRS MSs are
moved from EGPRS channels to GPRS channels to increase the channel utilization and to reduce
the effect on the EGPRS service.
The procedure for reassigning concurrent uplink and downlink TBFs is as follows: The BSC sends a
Packet Timeslot Reconfigure message to the MS in order to assign new PDCHs, new USFs, and new
TFIs. After a period of time, the MS continues to transmit data over the new PDCHs.
Figure 3-12 shows the details.
Figure 3-12 Reassignment of the concurrent uplink and downlink TBFs

MS BSC

Packet Timeslot Reconfigure

3.8 Suspend and Resume

When a GPRS-attached class B MS establishes a circuit switched connection, the BSC initiates the
suspend procedure to suspend its GPRS/EGPRS service. Meanwhile, it informs the SGSN of the
suspension. When the circuit switched connection is complete, the BSC initiates the resume procedure.
The resume procedure can be initiated only when the suspend procedure is successful. If the resume
procedure is not initiated or it fails, the MS performs a routing area update procedure after the circuit
switched connection is released. The purpose is to inform the SGSN that it has resumed the suspended
GPRS service.

3.8.1 Suspend
To suspend the GPRS service, the BSC sends a Suspend PDU message to the SGSN. Then, the
scheduling of the TBF is stopped and the TBF is released. The SGSN returns a Suspend-Ack
PDU/Suspend-Nack PDU message to the BSC.
 If the BSC receives a Suspend-Ack PDU message, the suspend procedure is successfully completed.
 If the BSC receives a Suspend-Nack PDU message, the circuit switched connection is released the
suspend procedure is considered unsuccessful.

3.8.2 Resume
The BSC initiates the resume procedure when the circuit switched connection is complete.
 If the suspend procedure is successfully completed and the call is released in the same routing area
as the one where it was set up, the BSC sends a Resume PDU message to the SGSN.
− If
the SGSN responds with a Resume-Ack PDU message, the GPRS service is successfully
resumed.
− If
the SGSN responds with a Resume-Nack PDU message, the GPRS service is unsuccessfully
resumed.
 If the call is released in a different routing area from the one where it was set up, the network cannot
perform the resume procedure for the MS. The MS has to perform routing area update.

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4 Parameters
Table 4-1 Parameter description
Parameter ID NE MML Command Description

IMMASSDLSHIFT BSC6900 SET Meaning: This parameter specifies

GCELLPSOTHERPARA whether to support the takeover of the
(Optional) packet immediate assignment by the
BTS. It is relative to the uplink immediate
assignment. To improve the access rate
of the MS, the BSS allocates the uplink
TBF resources to the BTS in advance.
The BTS sends the immediate
assignment message to the MS through
the resources allocated by the BSC.
When receiving the immediate
assignment message, the MS can send
the data block. The BTS needs to send
the assistant channel request to the BSC.
When receiving the request, the BSC
sends the immediate assignment request
to the BTS to complete the TDF setup
flow.

GUI Value Range: NO(Not Support),

YES(Support)
Actual Value Range: NO, YES
Unit: None
Default Value: NO
EGPRS11BITCHANREQ BSC6900 SET Meaning: Whether to support the 11-bit
GCELLPSBASE(Option EGPRS access request
al)
GUI Value Range: NO(NO), YES(YES)
Actual Value Range: NO, YES
Unit: None
Default Value: YES
PACKASSDLSHIFT BSC6900 SET Meaning: Whether to support the function
GCELLPSOTHERPARA of moving the packet assignment down to
(Optional) the BTS. To improve the access speed of
the MS, after the packet assignment is
moved down to the BTS, the BSC
reserves the uplink resources for the
BTS. The BTS obtains the channel
request of the MB by analyzing the
downlink acknowledgement message
sent by the MS. Then the BTS allocates
the reserved uplink resources to the MS
to move the packet assignment to the
BTS.

GUI Value Range: NO(Not Support),

YES(Support)

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Parameter ID NE MML Command Description

Actual Value Range: NO, YES
Unit: None
Default Value: NO

DNTBFRELDELAY BSC6900 SET Meaning: Delay of releasing the downlink

GCELLPRIVATEOPTPA TBF. After the last downlink RLC data
RA(Optional) block is transmitted on the network side
and all the transmitted downlink data
blocks are received, the MS is not
informed to stop this downlink TBF.
Instead, the state of the last data block is
forcibly set to "not received" and the
RRBP flag of the last data block is
retransmitted continuously so that the
downlink TBF is not released. During the
downlink delay release, if the upper layer
of the network side needs to transmit
downlink data, the downlink RLC block for
unpacking can be transmitted in the
downlink TBF for delay release. The state
of the downlink TBF is changed from
delay releasing to downlink transmitting.
In addition, the MS must respond to the
Packet Downlink Ack/Nack message
through the uplink data block of the RRBP
to exchange messages with the network
side. When the MS needs to send data,
the MS can send the uplink request to the
network sides through the Packet
Downlink Ack/Nack with the channel
request description. If this parameter is
set to 0, the release delay of downlink
TBF is disabled.

GUI Value Range: 0~5000

Actual Value Range: 0~5000
Unit: ms
Default Value: 2400
EXTUTBFNODATA BSC6900 SET Meaning: Whether to send the Dummy
GCELLPSBASE(Option message during the deactivated period of
al) the extended uplink TBF

GUI Value Range: SEND(SEND),

NOTSEND(NOTSEND)
Actual Value Range: SEND, NOTSEND
Unit: None
Default Value: SEND

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Parameter ID NE MML Command Description

T3192 BSC6900 SET Meaning: Duration of releasing the TBF

GCELLPSBASE(Option after the MS receives the last data block.
al) When the MS receives the RLC data
block containing the flag identifying the
last data block and confirms that all the
RLC data blocks in the TBF are received,
the MS sends the packet downlink
acknowledge message containing the last
flag acknowledgement and the timer
T3192 is started. If the timer T3192
expires, the MS releases the TBF related
resources and starts monitoring the
paging channel. During TBF releasing, if
the MS is the half duplex mode and
receives the packet uplink assignment,
the MS responds this command. During
TBF releasing, if the MS is the half duplex
mode and receives no packet uplink
assignment message, the MS enters the
packet idle mode. If the MS is in the dual
transmission mode, the MS enters the
special mode.

GUI Value Range: 0ms(0ms),

80ms(80ms), 120ms(120ms),
160ms(160ms), 200ms(200ms),
500ms(500ms), 1000ms(1000ms),
1500ms(1500ms)
Actual Value Range: 0ms, 80ms, 120ms,
160ms, 200ms, 500ms, 1000ms, 1500ms
Unit: ms
Default Value: 500ms
N3103 BSC6900 SET Meaning: Maximum value of the N3101
GCELLSTANDARDOPT counter. When the uplink transmission
PARA(Optional) ends, if the network side receives the last
RLC data block, the network side sends
an FAI=1 uplink packet
acknowledged/unacknowledged
message and starts N3103. If the packet
control acknowledgement message is not
received in the specified time, N3103 is
increased on the network side and the
uplink packet
acknowledged/unacknowledged
message is retransmitted. When this
counter is overflowed, the timer T3169 is
started. After this timer expires, the
current TBF is released abnormally.

GUI Value Range: 2~5

Actual Value Range: 2~5
Unit: None

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Parameter ID NE MML Command Description

Default Value: 3

UPTBFRELDELAY BSC6900 SET Meaning: Delay of releasing the

GCELLPRIVATEOPTPA non-extended uplink TBF. After receiving
RA(Optional) the last uplink RLC data block
(CountValue=0), the network side sends
the message Packet Uplink Ack/Nack
with FAI=1 to notify the MS of releasing
the uplink TBF. After this parameter is
set, the network side notifies the MS of
releasing this TBF after specified delay.
In this way, the downlink TBF can be
established on the unreleased uplink
TBF. This uplink TBF is automatically
released when the downlink TBF is
established or when the delay duration
exceeds the time set by the uplink
non-extended TBF. If this parameter is
set to 0, the release delay of
non-extended TBF is disabled.

GUI Value Range: 0~300

Actual Value Range: 0~300
Unit: ms
Default Value: 120
UPEXTTBFINACTDELAY BSC6900 SET Meaning: Inactive period of extended
GCELLPRIVATEOPTPA uplink TBF. After the network side
RA(Optional) receives the last uplink RLC data block
(CountValue=0) of the MS supporting the
extended uplink TBF, the uplink TBF is
not released immediately. Instead, the
uplink TBF is set to the inactive state. In
the inactive period, if the MS needs to
transmit the uplink RLC data block, the
MS can use the inactive uplink TBF
without rebuilding a new uplink TBF. This
inactive uplink TBF is switched to the
active state automatically. At the end of
the inactive period, if the MS does not
transmit the uplink RLC data block, the
network side sends the message Packet
Uplink Ack/Nack to notify the MS of
releasing the uplink TBF. When the uplink
TBF is inactive, the downlink TBF can be
established according to this uplink TBF.
0: disable the function of the extended
uplink TBF (this function can be disabled
on the BSC side).

GUI Value Range: 0~5000

Actual Value Range: 0~5000

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Parameter ID NE MML Command Description

Unit: ms
Default Value: 2000

N3105 BSC6900 SET Meaning: Maximum value of the N3105

GCELLSTANDARDOPT counter. After the downlink TBF is set up
PARA(Optional) successfully, the N3105 is started on the
network side. After the downlink RLC
data block is added with the RRBP
domain on the network side, the valid
packet acknowledged message
responded by the MS is received in the
uplink RLC data block in the RRBP
domain. In this case, N3105 is reset.
Otherwise, the value of N3105 is
increased and the downlink data block of
the RRBP is retransmitted. When N3105
is overflowed, T3195 is started. After the
timer T3195 expires, the current TBF is
released abnormally.

GUI Value Range: 3~10

Actual Value Range: 3~10
Unit: None
Default Value: 10
N3101 BSC6900 SET Meaning: Maximum value of the N3101
GCELLSTANDARDOPT counter. In the dynamic uplink allocation
PARA(Optional) mode, the network side enables multiple
MSs to share the same uplink channel
through the USF value in the downlink
data block. After the network side
allocates the USF to the uplink TBF (the
uplink TBF is set up successfully), N3101
is started. The network side waits for the
RLC uplink data block sent by the MS. If
the RLC uplink data block sent by the MS
is valid, N3101 is reset. Otherwise, the
value of N3101 is increased on the
network side. When this counter is
overflowed, the current uplink TBF is
released abnormally.

GUI Value Range: 8~30

Actual Value Range: 8~30
Unit: None
Default Value: 20

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 5 Counters

5 Counters
For the counters, see the BSC6900 GSM Performance Counter Reference.

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 6 Glossary

6 Glossary
For the acronyms, abbreviations, terms, and definitions, see the Glossary.

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GPRS/EGPRS Connection Control and Transfer 7 Reference Documents

7 Reference Documents
[1] 3GPP TS 43.064: “Overall description of the GPRS Radio Interface; Stage 2”
[2] 3GPP TS 48.018: "BSS GPRS Protocol (BSSGP)"
[3] 3GPP TS 44.060: "Radio Link Control/Medium Access Control (RLC/MAC) protocol"
[4] 3GPP TS 44.018: “Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol”
[5] BSC6900 Feature List
[6] BSC6900 Optional Feature Description
[7] BSC6900 GSM Parameter Reference
[8] BSC6900 GSM MML Command Reference
[9] BSC6900 GSM Performance Counter Reference

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